Holes and Walls
}}The Exarch lays out why exactly he's entitled to an evil cackle. Cast * Gontor Hammerfell ◀ ▶ * Creed of the Stone Usher with Sandy Hair ◀ ▶ * Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair ◀ ▶ * Clan Whiterock Elder ◀ ▶ * Clan Whiterock Female Guard ◀ ▶ * Clan Whiterock Male Guard ◀ ▶ * Council of Clans Guard with Blue Beard ◀ ▶ * Council of Clans Guard with Brown Beard ◀ ▶ * Council of Clans Guard with Gray Beard by Council Chamber ▶ * Council of Clans Guard with Light Brown Beard ▶ * Three Dwarf Guards Transcript Gontor: Take your seat in the Inner Chamber. Vote Yes on the main proposal, and follow any verbal instructions given to you by a vampire. Matriarch: Yes, OK... Gontor: Off you go. Curly: Are you sure this is going to work? Seems like they should have defenses against this sort of thing. Gontor: They do, but we are bypassing them— Gontor: —thanks to the knowledge our dearly departed sire gave me. Gontor (off-panel): The orange barrier at the foot of the stairs dispels all magic on anyone who passes through it. Sandy: That's why we're not putting the mind whammy on them until they hit the stairs. Gontor: It also physically prevents anyone but dwarves—or those of us walking around in dwarf bodies—from entering this Middle Chamber. Gontor: The dwarves clearly believed they only needed to worry about influence from foreign sources, not from their own kind. Gontor: Or maybe the ones who built this place wanted to quietly reserve the ability to tamper with the vote themselves. Gontor: Who knows? Curly: OK, so...what does the blue barrier here at the top of the stairs do, then? Gontor: Ah. It is a thing of beauty, really. Gontor: Within the boundaries of the blue barrier, anyone violating dwarven law is instantly turned to stone until the meeting is formally adjourned. Curly: What?!? Doesn't that include what we're doing? Gontor: Not if we limit ourselves to verbal orders once we're inside. The laws don't prohibit simply talking! Gontor: But they do explicitly forbid attacking or using any spell or supernatural ability on any creature during a council meeting. Gontor: Any spell— Gontor: —including Dispel Magic! Gontor: Even if Thor's people make it past our defenses, they will be powerless to break our control of the councilors inside the Inner Chamber. Gontor: They will be forced to watch as our pawns usher in Hel's final victory! Gontor: Bwee hee hee hee hee hee! Sandy (whispering): The blue one also blocks sound, or else the evil cackles would be a total giveaway. D&D Context * Dispel Magic would be one way to break the vampires' Dominate ability. Trivia * The Exarch's line in Panel 2 indicates that the Vampire Dwarf With Blue Curly Hair has informed him about "Greg"'s destruction at Belkar's hands in "A Heartfelt Moment". * The magic barriers being colored orange and blue may seem like a reference to the video game Portal, but it is merely a coincidence.Re: OOTS #1157 - The Discussion Thread., The Giant * This is the first appearance of the two guards by the Council chamber door, with light brown and gray beards respectively. External Links * 1157}} View the comic * 582295}} View the discussion thread References